In the Dark
by chas3r
Summary: Everyone has secrets, things to hide, things they prefer to be kept hidden for all eternity. And when that secret surfaces, there are those who are driven to bury the evidence... at whatever cost... specially those of the dark side.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! This is my first Harry Potter fanfic! It pretty much revolves around the life of my OC, but be assured that your favorite original HP characters will be very involved. I hope you don't mind, but the OC here is somewhat a reflection of who I really am, LOL. Call me conceited if you want but I don't really care :)**

**So I hope you enjoy this. Of course, the story is just beginning so just give it a try and TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

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Chapter 1

Marissa lay lazily in the warm sand. She had her eyes closed and her face towards the soothing heat of the sun. Tomorrow, she could say goodbye to the warmth of the tropics and say hello to cold, unwelcoming weather.

The Philippines was a wonderful country. Everything seems to be tailored for Marissa. She was an avid swimmer and athlete, thanks to the beach in her front yard and the pool in her backyard. The city was only a half-hour drive away, the wilderness another half-hour drive in the opposite direction, and friendly and hospitable people everywhere. Not to mention her large but cozy beachfront home. _This is the life_, she thought. _Or at least it was_. For fifteen years, she has been living in her beloved country, and now her family decides to move. _Thanks, but no thanks_, she thought miserably.

As if on cue, Marissa heard a distant voice calling for her. Keeping her eyes closed, she answered idly, "Over here, mom."

"Have you been here the whole time?" her mother, Suzanne, asked indignantly as she struggled to walk over the sand towards her.

"Yes, mom," Marissa sighed as she slowly opened her eyes to see her mother standing over her with her hands on her hips. Marissa tried to suppress a giggle. Her mother looked like an oversized vulture. "I'm simply trying to soak up as much delicious sun as I could, probably the last time I could ever do that," she said, sitting up and dusting off the sand in her dark, shoulder-length hair and sun-kissed skin.

"Marissa," Suzanne said exasperatingly, "we've been over this a thousand times. I thought you were okay with it?"  
Marissa stood up and stretched her long legs. Her mom dusted off the sand from her beach shorts and tank top. "I said _as if I had a choice_, not _okay_," she answered pointedly.

Suzanne pouted her lips, but she didn't say anything.

Marissa looked at her mom and rolled her eyes. _Who exactly is the adult here?_ she thought, annoyed at her mother's childishness. Marissa sighed and put her arm around her mom and said, "Look, mom, it's no big deal, alright?" _Yes it is_. "I'm just gonna miss this place. That's all." _And my friends, my home, my school, my whole LIFE… _Good thing Suzanne isn't a mind reader.

Suzanne's pout was replaced with a smile and said cheerfully, "This is going to be great, Marissa. London is such a wonderful place. We're finally going to England!"

"That's just great…" said Marissa,failing to hide the sarcasm in her voice, but her mother decided to ignore that.

The two of them walked back to their home together. As they reached the glass front doors, Marissa could see two people in weird cloaks seated on their plush living room couch in deep conversation with her father. She opened the door, and, instantly, Berkeley, their golden retriever, came running up to her, barking madly. The commotion startled her father and his guests. As the two strangers laid their eyes on her, they stood abruptly and whispered something in her father's ears. Her father nodded.

"We will be seeing you soon," said one of the cloaked strangers.

"Don't keep her," said the other one, discreetly glancing at Marissa, "in the dark, Albert."

Albert nodded slowly, and led the two men past Marissa and out the door.

As soon as the strangers left, Suzanne released a breath and scurried off towards the kitchen. Albert gave Marissa a weak smile and headed up the stairs. Marissa was left in the foyer with Berkeley running around in circles.

"That," she said to herself as she walked up the stairs towards her room to pack, "was the weirdest thing I have ever seen."

She walked into her bedroom and stood by the doorway. She sighed sadly. _I am so gonna miss my wonderful haven_. She surveyed every inch of her now bare room, trying to remember how it looked like. Maybe she could recreate it when she moved to London. She looked at the empty spot where her bulletin board filled with notes, pictures, drawings, and memorabilia once was. She took in everything she could see, and flopped on her "Little Mermaid" themed bed. Everything was in boxes now, ready for departure.

With a heavy heart, Marissa took her suitcase out from under her bed. She opened her drawer and started dumping her clothes in the suitcase. She shook her head slightly as she realized she had almost nothing appropriate for London weather. All she had to keep her warm was a small, white hoodie and a red windbreaker. Everything else was skirts, pants, tank tops, and shirts. _If I don't die of loneliness_, _I'm gonna freeze to death instead_.

She heard a soft knock behind her. She turned around and saw her father standing in the doorway. He had a sad smile on his face.

"Finally getting ready, aren't we?" Albert said.

"Yeah," Marissa said sadly. "I figured I couldn't put it off any longer."

Albert walked in and sat at the foot of her bed. "Have you said your goodbyes?"  
Marissa sighed. She turned her back to her father, pretending to look for more clothes in her closet. She had said goodbye to her friends and family she's gonna leave behind the day before, and it was one of the hardest things she had to do. She hastily wiped the tears forming in her eyes. "It wasn't that bad," she said quietly.

Albert sighed again. "You know, Marissa, this won't be so bad either. Just wait and see till we get there."

"I know, dad," Marissa said and smiled at her father. "I just don't see why we have to _move_ there. Can't we just stay there for around a month then come back?"

Albert shook his head. "I've been assigned there. All my work will be there, now. You wouldn't let me live there all alone, would you?" he said with a slight tease in his voice.

Marissa shook her head and laughed. "Of course not."  
Albert smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing I can do, anyway. I can't say no to the ministry."  
"Ministry?" Marissa raised her eyebrow.

Albert flushed a bit, then said, "M-minis… I meant embassy. Embassy. What did I say?"

"You said ministry… are you a priest or something?" Marissa asked incredulously while she continued to pack.

"No, no," Albert laughed. "I meant _embassy_. The Philippine Embassy. Embassy. Embassy…" He continued to mutter.

"Right, dad," Marissa said, starting to sense something fishy going on. "I got it the first time you said it."

"Right," Albert said distractedly. "Sure you did."

Just then, Suzanne appeared by the doorway. "Marissa," she said, a huge smile forming on her face, "there's one more thing we have to do."

"What now?" Marissa whined.

"Well," Suzanne answered as she strode into the bedroom and eyed Marissa's clothes, "you don't seem fully-equipped for London. We're going shopping!"

_Finally something good came out of this silly trip_, Marissa thought as she beamed at her mother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

The plane flight to London was a very long and boring one. It took more hours than Marissa had hoped and she was so glad when they arrived. _This isn't so bad_, she mused. It was a very wonderful place, though she wasn't used to the weather. She wrapped her newly bought coat around her more tightly and followed her parents to get their luggage.

Once they had everything, including a restless Berkeley, they headed to the exit of the airport where Marissa feasted her eyes on the closely packed buildings and smooth streets and right-side driven cars. She was amazed at how different it was from her own country.

"Dad, aren't we gonna hail a cab or something?" Marissa asked as she noticed her parents just standing there, apparently waiting for something.

"No need," her father said, as a black limousine rolled up in front of them.

Marissa's mouth dropped. _Why on earth is there a limo here? For US?_ She saw small flags attached to the front of the limo, but before she could see them clearly, her father prodded her to go inside the limo and she did.

The inside was even better than the outside. The seats were leather and it had wood paneling. There was a small TV, telephone, refrigerator, and a mini bar inside. She was gazing open-mouthed at her surroundings.

"Don't look so surprised, Marissa," said Albert. "The embassy takes very good care of us."

Marissa nodded her head slowly and looked out the window. She was once again taken by the wonderful scenery whizzing past her. _This is just great_, she thought, the hint of sarcasm absent.

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The limo stopped in front of a huge manor. Marissa guessed it to be somewhere a bit away from the city as she noticed that the buildings lessened as they got nearer the manor. They got out of the limo and stood breathless at the foot of the stone steps that led to the huge oak doors.

"So, this is the embassy?" Marissa asked.

"No," Albert said slowly, putting an arm around his daughter. "This," he paused for effect, "is our new home."

"WHAT!" Marissa exclaimed. "You have got to be kidding me! This… THIS? This is our new home? OUR house? This is where we're gonna live?" She ran up the stone steps, followed closely by her parents. "Oh my goodness it's amazing! I can't believe it! It's so huge! And look!" she said, pointing towards the forests that lined the extremely long driveway, "We have our own forest! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!"

"Looks like you like it here," Suzanne said, her eyes twinkling.

"Like it?" Marissa said, wide-eyed. "I LOVE it!" she cried and ran into the manor, Berkeley at her heels.

* * *

It has been three days since she first stepped into the manor, and she still hasn't finished exploring. The manor had hundreds of rooms, even some secret passages to her delight. Every inch of the manor was beautiful, but she thought it was too big for the three of them. Her usual company was Berkeley since her father and mother seem to be away doing something all of the time.

"Mom doesn't even have a job," she said to herself. It was fast becoming a habit. With no one to talk to but herself or Berkeley, she usually found herself whispering or muttering absently.

Today, she decided to investigate the forest. She never went in too far, always making sure that she could still see the driveway from where she was in case she got lost. She loved the forest because it was always peacefully quiet, not the foreboding silence in the manor.

As she was strolling along, watching Berkeley dig his nose around the dirt, she heard a twig crack behind her. She whipped around and peered through the large trees around her. She saw nothing. Slightly shaking her head, she walked on. Another crack, and this time, she turned her head so abruptly that she felt dizzy, but she saw a very small figure run across two trees. She hurriedly went to where she saw the figure, but she saw nothing again.

"Berkeley," she whispered, and he obediently came to her side. Marissa peered around the forest again, but it was now deathly silent. "I think I just saw an dwarf," she said incredulously to Berkeley, who in turn just stared absently back. "I'm going crazy," Marissa said quietly, shaking her head and slightly laughing at herself.

She decided to go back to the manor. Maybe a cool drink would get her back to normal. Berkeley ran ahead of her and was out of sight in a flash. As she made her way to the driveway, she heard a swishing sound behind her. Before she could turn, she heard a raspy voice and saw a bright light. She didn't have the chance to run, not even to scream. She felt something hit her hard in the back, intense heat flowed through her body. She fell to the ground, gasping for air. The last thing she saw was a huge pair of scared eyes, and everything went black.


End file.
